Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

A family-friendly adventure, the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History features four billion years of Oklahoma history including the world's largest Apatosaurus and several other dinosaur skeletons. In the Hall of Ancient Life discover the origins of life and walk through exhibits showcasing gigantic prehistoric bugs, skeletons of massive aquatic creatures that once inhabited the seas that covered Oklahoma, and record-setting mounted dinosaurs. The museum's Pentaceratops skull holds the Guinness World Record as the largest.

A family-friendly adventure, the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History features four billion years of Oklahoma history including the world's largest Apatosaurus and several other dinosaur skeletons. In the Hall of Ancient Life discover the origins of life and walk through exhibits showcasing gigantic prehistoric bugs, skeletons of massive aquatic creatures that once inhabited the seas that covered Oklahoma, and record-setting mounted dinosaurs. The museum's Pentaceratops skull holds the Guinness World Record as the largest.

The centerpiece of the Hall of Ancient Life is the "Clash of the Titans" exhibit where two Jurassic giants are locked in a life or death struggle. The world's largest Apatosaurus, which was excavated in the Oklahoma panhandle, towers next to a T-Rex look-alike known as Saurophaganax Maximus that once roamed the Oklahoma plains. Other exhibits in the Hall of Ancient Life include a saber-tooth cat, mammoths, and distant relatives of bears and ostriches as well as exhibits covering the Cretaceous and Cenozoic periods as well as exhibits about the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.

Other exhibits in the museum include realistic nature dioramas such as a walk-through limestone cave, Native American artifacts, and vast collections of biological specimens from across Oklahoma. The museum also offers special exhibitions and family programs. There's a hands-on Discovery Room for kids, plus a fabulous museum store and cafe.

We have visited this museum several times, and it has a great display of Oklahoma's natural history. This last time we visited they had the special display of the influence of skateboarding in the Native American reservations. My kids thought the art on the boards were pretty cool! They also had a photograph exhibit about the consumption of food during the course of one week for different families around the world. Talk about eye-opening! The kid's scavenger hunt was in this display, and was a great way to engage the kids in a discussion of the topic of cultures and nutrition. Sam Noble Museum is definitely a must-see!

From Jack Schlotte on 05/04/12

A superb natural history museum showcasing the majesty of evolution and the life sciences. The Pentaceratops and other dinosaurs, as well as the many fossilized mammals are a perfect tribute to Darwinian evolution as verified by the fossil record. Don't miss looking eye-to-eye with the Apatosaurus, formerly known as Brontosaurus.

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